Tuesday, September 05, 2006

water and wood

michel and the hose

peat and the saw

peat, michel, jason, dhamiboo and i semi-ceremoniously ingaugurated the construction season at destiny last weekend first with a powerful spray from our newly functional well, second with the erection of a tarp city over the timbers providing weather-proofish workspace, and third by chiseling up a storm as prolific as the hurricane.

"the well is in." we can now say that! how long have we been waiting? while it's not yet connected to a building, we can hook it up to a generator and pump 20 gallons a minute for construction purposes, or just create small floods. 20 gallons a minute is a lot of water.

we can also say construction has begun. after a good deal of discussion we decided to start cutting braces, the 45-degree angled pieces that keep the frame from racking and which are one of the hallmarks of a timber frame. these are good pieces to start with because they're small so if, for instance, we cut the end off too short (we did this) you haven't wasted a big timber. also, much of the chisel-work is hidden reducing some of the pressure those tending toward perfection felt while practicing their new skills. it also happened that we have more brace stock than anything else and it was on top of the pile.

i think we were all pleased with our progress. with a regular faerie carpenter corps (a few people each day) working the frame we should continue to make good progress. i encourage anyone and everyone who can take a day here or there, or more if possible, to consider contributing your skills. we will be working on the land most days from now until november. if in doubt call me, bambi or dhamiboo to find out what's happening. calling is probably better than email since we'll not be checking it while on the land. many of you have requested we post in advance the tasks that will be happening on specific dates. i understand the need to know, and we'll do our best, but please also try to understand that the tasks change day-to-day depending on weather, who shows up and our contractors. there's plenty of work to do! if you don't feel comfortable with sharp tools, we can employ you as a butt clamp--someone who sits on beams to keep them steady.

3 Comments:

This is fine work. And now I'd like to air some worries.I hope that the constructionist vision so supported in consensus decisions doesn't become the dom. theme. I've been a past donor and was assured after the Meadow I and Road-ext were built, that have no fear, no more clearing would be done. Consensus is important but having an environmental review by a friendly face could point out things that might be missed in the tight circle of consensus. The idea of clearing large amounts of land (as I feel was done) to support future agriculture seems a city-slicker's fantasy. I see many houses being built today where shade trees are being spared.And these people aren't radical faeries... some of them are Republicans. I have my doubts about agriculture on the N. side of a mountain. Also I'm worried that our buildings will be very hot at times without shade. Or at least without shade in my remaining lifetime. In short I'm disturbed that we're radical except when it comes to environmentalism. Holes in the forest invite all kinds of plant and animal invasives. Blue Heron has a fine kitchen and dining area... it's surrounded by trees. How in the world did they manage that? Consensus is a good method but it's not perfect. George Bush has consensus on his staff too, I'm sure. I'm hoping, against hope ?, that future building can be done in a more friendly way. I'm hoping that farming dreams can be squared with reality. My fondest memories of childhood are sitting under a shade tree at Grandma's house. While large funds will undoubtably be spent on the construction endeavors, is there a chance that a few hundred dollars could be apportioned to planting of somewhat larger trees that might serve as shade trees? The kind that come with guarantees are best. Hopefully native trees (Not Norway Maples), that grow short and wide to provide shade. There are people who've made a life's work of studying nature, ecosystems, plants, birds, soils etc. The consensus of the future should rely on such persons so that the needs of the earth are not subjugated to an overdominating constructionist vision. Faerie is many things, and what I write may sound radical, but in the future will be mainstream thinking. Thank you for listening, this is not meant to be a tirade, I hold you all with the greatest love and respect. Oops I commented on a previous thread so repeating here.